Our Founders

Developing Scholars is a registered Canadian Charity (80964 7159 RR0001) that was founded by **John and Shelley Eby** in 2004 to help promising students from poor backgrounds in Guatemala to realize their potential. John has a house in the town of Antigua Guatemala and spends his winters there.
Guatemala is a very poor country with many needs.We knew of families who couldn’t afford to send their children to school so we decided to start a charity that focussed on helping some of these students realize their educational potential.

Board of Directors:

Developing Scholars is governed by a diverse Board of Directors who are interested in our education programs in Guatemala. The Board consisting of the following members:

**John Eby, Chairperson and President.** John enjoyed a career in finance and as a corporate director with responsibility for corporate governance and finance.

**Cameron Eby**, **Secretary** is a full time teacher in Toronto and has visited Guatemala most recently in March of 2020.

**Gordon Eby** is a management consultant. Gordon and his family visited Guatemala most recently in March 2025

**Joe McCabe** is an insurance executive and corporate director. Joe and his wife, Nancy, visited our programs in Guatemala in February of 2020

**Katie Smith** is a PCC ICF-certified Executive, Leadership, and Business Coach with a dynamic background in SaaS and people leadership. Currently serving as Lead Global People Business Partner at Clio, she partners with senior executives to align people strategies with business goals, foster high-performance cultures, and lead transformative organizational initiatives. With a proven track record in coaching, talent strategy, and executive development, Katie brings a thoughtful, data-driven, and innovative approach to leadership transformation.

Judith Johnson is a holistic psychotherapist in private practice in Toronto and visited our program in Guatemala early in its development.

Martin Hefferon, Vice President is a retired insurance executive who has visited our programs in Guatemala on several occasions

***Our agent, Alice Lee:*** We quickly realized that to be effective in a new country, we needed to partner with an established local NGO that shared our goals and values. Based on a personal recommendation, we were introduced to Alice Lee, a Guatemalan resident and the founder of a small education-focused charity called CasaSito, which is registered in both Guatemala and the US. Our relationship with CasaSito continues to this day, and Alice is the official agent for Developing Scholars in Guatemala. Through joint programs with CasaSito, we can expand our impact by utilizing their local staff and established initiatives.

Interview with the Founder, John Eby